Caravan of Cirra
by TheBritt
Summary: From the small town of Cirra is sent a new batch of caravaners, including the Clavat Bella. Bella's growing friendship and curiosity of the world around her increases throughout the story as she and her friends overcome the trials set before them.
1. Default Chapter

_**Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles**_

**Chapter One: Morning Dew**

TheBritt

**T**he air was crisp and clean and the morning dew was gradually evaporating to form a mild mist over the region, swirling about the caravan's wheels as it slowly moved by. The path was wide and often used, however few caravan's would be travelling along it at such a time in the morning, allowing the driver to indulge in a moment's thought, her mind wandering back home – back to Cirra.

The quiet village of Cirra was tucked away deep into the mountains, which was generally a good thing as it avoided any prying eyes from hordes of rampaging monsters that might have sought goods or otherwise from a civilised settlement. Of course, being more reclusive than most villages, Cirra was met with few strangers and few of the villagers ever left the town gates.

Of course, certain folk _had_ to leave the town; the Crystal Caravaners. These Caravaners were vital to the town's survival, as with every other town or city across the land; the Crystal Caravans were the only thing that would save them from the dreaded miasma current that coated the land. The Caravaners were charged with the task of collecting myrrh, a substance that acts as a counter-weight to the miasma, in a chalice and return it to the town where it would be stored within a Myrrh Tree. Then their journey would be over... for a year when the tree would start to fail and more myrrh would be needed to replenish its long, magical leaves.

Generally the Caravaners would continue collecting the myrrh for five years and then pass on the task to a younger generation. This had been one such year.

The vast majority of Cirra's inhabitants were Clavats, a race of people that were generally mild mannered, quiet folk that were most happy when farming and caring for the land. Their whole demeanour was one of a gentle kindness, with their large, bright eyes and their worn, masculine bodies giving them the down to earth appearance that gave them the trust of the other races.

Bella was one such Clavatian, her white garments covering her youthful, boy-like body and her long, dark hair being held in place by a deep blue head band with a playful red feather popped beneath it for good luck on her journey. The white clothing she wore resembled something of a tunic, only a little longer. Stopping short of her knees, the garment was thickly padded and long sleeved to keep her warm during the cold nights, whilst her legs were clothed with tight, black leggings, coming eventually to her feet that bore simple, soft slippers, allowing her a more comfortable walk when she had to do so. The collar to the garment could be picked up to hide her neck from the harsh winds, or allowed loose and unbuttoned when it was warmer and she could always remove the leggings if she got too hot.

Bella wasn't the only Caravaner that was sent on the mission for myrrh, of course. Another sent to go was Xu Pai, a Selkie woman of a certain persuasion and temperament. Unlike the trust-worthy Clavats, Selkies were notorious for thievery, many of the rogues and vagabonds of the world being Selkies. Originating from over the seas, Selkies settled onto the continent with no real place to call home, which probably brought about their selfish nature, especially after the hardships that they'd endured to get here. The feminine yet rugged Selkies had a certain aspect of mystery to them and one could never truly tell what they were thinking whilst they were speaking, their nature being rather deceitful. Despite the vast distrust placed upon them, many Selkies had taken up residence in Clavatian towns, the only race willing enough to accept them. Of course, the fact that the two races were largely similar in appearances was likely a major hand in this, the only real differences being that Clavats were masculine, whilst the Selkies were feminine, causing a lot of confusion for members of other races that aren't used to seeing either race. Selkies had mush more cat-like eyes, giving them a devious appearance, combined with their soft, girlish complexions; they were easy to differentiate from Clavats to anyone familiar with Clavatian or Selkie appearances. Although Selkies and Clavats were known to form relationships, a crossbreed had yet to be witnessed and was considered impossible, likely the genetic structures wouldn't allow for it. Of course, this wasn't proven and many believed that a half Selkie and half Clavatian child was perfectly possible, though the likelihood of birth was narrowed.

Like most Selkies, Xu Pai was well figured and filled out her rather skimpy outfit perfectly. Unlike Clavats, Selkies seemed to have thicker skin and blood, allowing them to remain warmer in cold whether, and so most Selkies wore very little. Naturally, Xu Pai was no exception to this and her clothing left little for the imagination to work on. Her chest was cupped with a black, fur-lined garment that came up over the shoulders, though cutting out the front of the material to show off her ample cleavage. From the fur upon the shoulders came the short, loose sleeves that ceased before they reached her elbows. About her wrists were two rings of fur, along with similar bands about her ankles that acted as fasteners for her, soft, padded boots. About her hips was a short, side skirt tied up loosely with a blue sash, whilst underneath this was an item of clothing that resembled stockings, though somewhat thicker. Her shoulder-length, purple hair was possibly the most striking feature as there were few with such a colour, it being solely an aspect to a few Selkies.

Finally came the third member of the Caravan, Bezzel. Cirra had just a few Selkie families, mostly deriving originally from the same single family that settled in the town many years ago. However, as rare as the Selkie families were in the small village, the rarest was the Lilty presence. Just one Lilty family had taken up residence in Cirra and they only had one child, Bezzel. What made things more awkward about Bezzel's presence on this trek was that he was infamously peculiar. Never speaking and moving with perfect deliberation, some said he was possessed by the spirit of a Yuke, the final race in the world and one that was shrouded in mystery. The Lilties were usually a proud and noble race, though with extremely short tempers and an aggressive nature. Whilst Selkies argued with one another a lot as though they were all rival siblings, Lilties would settle their disputes with a physical fight. Their stout bodies betrayed their physical strength, far surpassing all other creatures with pure, brute strength. Once, the Lilties controlled most of the continent and though they no longer do, they still have an arrogant edge to their nature in that they believe themselves to be better than all others and have a particular disliking for the magically powerful Yukes. All this made Bezzel a misnomer as he acted more like a Yuke than a Lilty and oftentimes even _more _strange than them.

Upon Bezzel's rounded head sat a large helmet with two fearsome horns upon its top, however it covered his eyes completely, making Bella and Xu Pai wonder how he actually saw anything. His red hair-like leaves poked out from a hole atop the helmet and sprouted up and then drooping down over the helmet. His neck leaves that much resembled his head leaves and drooped over his thick, metallic armour. Coloured a dim silver, his armour was extremely strong and covered his entire body, from the neck downwards, though its middle was lesser coated than the rest of his body, lightening the weight so he was still agile enough to manoeuvre. Always in his hand was his spear, which was more like a bladed rod, the large knife-like blade upon its end was carved into with some Lilty symbolisations that often intrigued Bella whenever she was without something else to think about on the long, quiet days during their trip.

Of course, Bella and Xu Pai also had their own weapons, however they were usually sheathed and holstered, unlike Bezzel's. In a certain respect Bezzel scared Bella and in another she was reassured by his presence. Fortunately Bella had known of Bezzel before the Caravan had set off, meaning she knew something about what it would be like with him around. Xu Pai, on the other hand, was a complete stranger to her and yet the Selkie seemed perfectly comfortable with Bella. A little too comfortable for Bella's personal comfort and although Bella wanted Xu Pai to stop being so flirtatious with her, a certain part of the Clavat's heart appreciated the strange kinship that the two of them obviously shared. Somehow Xu Pai's outrageousness lightened the burden of their task and made the days go by more swiftly than they may have done had there just been Bella and Bezzel.

Bella's heart jumped a little as she suddenly felt something slinking about her waist, closing in and drawing tighter about her. Of course, she simply allowed an exasperated sigh as she glanced down to see the familiar fur wrist bands of Xu Pai, the Selkie's arms coiling bout her and drawing her into a warm hug from behind, Xu Pai resting her head snugly into Bella's neck.

She wasn't sure whether Xu Pai's attraction to her was because she appeared somewhat masculine by Selkie standards, or whether Xu Pai was actually homosexual. As a matter of fact, Bella was even sure as to the extent of Xu Pai's attraction, whether it was merely fanciful or whether Selkie's made natural bonds of deep friendship through more intimate means than Clavats did. To show her affection for Xu Pai, Bella would have offered her some of her finest crop or aided the Selkie with her farming work. Perhaps Selkies, with them rarely farming, showed their affection with hugging, kissing and other such antics that Bella would condemn to the bedroom.

Bella's reactions to Xu Pai's affections were varied, ranging from mild irritation, to outright embarrassment. Being a Clavat, it was rare for Bella to get exceedingly angry and so it was more in her nature to endure the Selkie's intrusions and blush than actually do something about it or even ask Xu Pai to cease. Presently, after feeling a slight irritation from realising she'd been startled over nothing, Bella actually found herself slipping back into Xu Pai's arms. Driving the Caravan all night was quite a feat, especially for a Clavat, who tend to be more day creatures, the best time for farming and the like. After such a tiring escapade, Bella was feeling particularly sleepy and the very warmth that Xu Pai's body bestowed upon her made that very feeling of sleep deprivation more apparent and the dream world was all of a sudden very inviting. Bella actually caught herself literally sleeping for the briefest of moments as she jolted back to life in a sudden panic that her lapse of concentration would have caused the Caravan to veer into a ditch or fence. She found that Xu Pai had actually caught the reins and was steering them along the road with ease. Bella sighed with relief and placed her forefingers against the bridge of her nose, whilst Xu Pai giggled with her usual relish and gave the Clavat a quick, cheeky kiss on the shoulder.

"You can sleep if you want to, Bella, I don't mind taking the reins for a little while…" Xu Pai's voice was a deep, sensual one that was typical of a Selkie. Rather than them all sound like women, they tended to have a more androgynous tone that disguised their gender. Of course, the innocently minded Clavat didn't realise that Xu Pai meant Bella should sleep where she was and moved herself from the Selkie's grasp, crawling inside the tent of the Caravan, glancing back to Xu Pai with a cute smile.

"Thanks, Xu Pai. Remember to go slowly, I know you're only just learning to work the reins," Bella then continued over the wooden flooring to where her own corner of the caravan resided, a mass of blankets and soft cushions, piled up to form a crude, but warm bed. She scrambled into them, pulling the blankets over her head, allowing a final sleepy glance to the opposite end of the caravan where the solemn Bezzel sat, staring out the back end at the escaping road behind them.


	2. Into the Mines

**Chapter Two: Into The Mines**

**B**ella awoke drowsily as she felt someone trying to rouse her. Still being shook, Bella poked her head from beneath the blanket over her head, her eyes peeping out at the culprit of her awakening. Xu Pai beamed at her mischievously.

"I'd tried waking you up in a more… gentle way, but you slept right on through!" Xu Pai announced, still grinning. Before Bella could even gasp, her eyes widening at the Selkie's comment, Xu Pai continued with an explanation for waking her up. "I thought you might wanna know that we've arrived at the mines…"

The Mines of Cathurgies. Long before any of the trio were born, the Lilties forged their conquest of the land by mining iron from these mines and produced weaponry by the dozen. Unfortunately, the iron wasn't unlimited and eventually the Lilties, in their greed and lust for domination, dug the mine dry of the iron supplies and had to abandon it. The Lilties aspiration for world dominance waned along with the iron they so loved. The dark mine soon became a regular home for the beasts and creatures of the land that the major tribes came to call monsters. The wicked creatures would kidnap, torment and even kill anyone that they could, possibly then use their corpse as food. In this sense, wandering into the monster-ridden mine may have seemed insane by most people, however as a Caravaner, the Cirra troupe aimed to acquire the myrrh from the tree that had sprung up deep within the mines.

Xu Pai stood up in front of Bella and peered down at her, hands on her rounded hips and a devilish smile on her lips, "If you're still tired, you can wait out here and we'll go get the myrrh. I'm sure we can cope…"

Bella shook her head, both in response to Xu Pai and to clear her head of sleep, "No, no, I shall accompany you. Allow me one moment to get my sword…" Her shield was permanently attached to her arm, looking more like a large, protruding bracer. An additional cup in the bronze shield guarded her hand, which she held onto with a handle inside. Her sword, however, rested upon one of the shelves that the group had installed into the caravan for better storage, something the prior group had kicked themselves for not coming up with.

Hoisting up the light sword, Bella tore back the blankets and started to scramble to her feet to find Xu Pai with a mild blush to her cheeks but her usual mischievous smile on her lips, "Ooo, Bella… The way you slung off those blankets was almost inviting!"

Bella's eye twitched almost in disbelief at what she was hearing from the other woman. To break the rather awkward moment, Bezzel appeared at the rear of the caravan and looked inside at the two girls. Or at least Bella assumed her was looking at them as his eyes weren't actually visible beneath his large helmet. After merely staring at them for a moment, the Lilty walked off to the right of the caravan, exuding his usual aura of mystery and oddity. Both Bella and Xu Pai looked curiously to one another, Bella eventually nodding to her companion, "I think Bezzel wants us to get a move on…"

"I think you might be right, come on," Xu Pai returned the nod and hopped off the back of the wooden structure to land on the cobbled flooring below her. Bella followed after her and came to gaze upon the entrance to the mine for the first time in her life. Never before had either of the girls ever seen such a foreboding, dark place and they both turned to look at the Lilty as though he might feel more at home in a place built by his ancestors. Of course, whether or not he did feel some sort of kinship with the mine remained in his head as he never even looked back at either of the pair of females.

He was the first to make a move, however, striding up to the entrance, seemingly without fear or hesitation and took no back glance as he vanished into the darkness beyond. Xu Pai pouted and puffed up her cheeks and chest, her eyes gleaning sternly at the mouth of the cave, building up her courage and then she sprinted on in after Bezzel, allowing Bella a quick glance before also disappearing into the darkness. The Clavat sighed and looked at the caravan, mildly wondering if it were safe to leave it outside unguarded and then shrugged mentally, following the other two in at a jog.

As she turned about the corner into the mine itself, Bella found that the caves were actually well lit and fairly uncluttered for something abandoned for so long. Glancing above her, she spotted what was lighting the tunnels still after all this time. Bombs. A certain breed of monster that appeared to be a strange ball, engulfed in flames with a nasty little face, trapped within a small cage and stuck to the ceiling. It growled something at her as she peered at it. When a Bomb was killed, it had a tendency to explode, giving them their name.

Bella bumped into something as she continued walking whilst staring at the imprisoned monster. An old mining cart sat atop the old tracks that ran throughout the mine, its sturdy wooden frame lasting throughout time. It was empty though much, Bella thought, like the Lilties' pride.

There was a sudden yelp from up ahead and Bella's attention was suddenly drawn back from her inner thoughts. Lying on the floor was Xu Pai with a sudden panicked expression on her face as she scrambled backwards from something around the corner where Bella couldn't see. Of course, the Clavat didn't need to wait long to find out what threat Xu Pai was cowering from as it pursued her into the very corridor Bella stood in. A large troll, at least twice the size of either Bella or Xu Pai, and thrice that of Bezzel, pounded toward the fallen Selkie, its huge, booted feet crashing down upon the cobbled flooring. In one hand it held a small, rounded shield and a great axe in its other, likely items left behind all those years ago by the Lilties. Upon its head sat a horned cap, more an item of intimidation than of practical use, whilst its grotesque head bore a large, fanged, manic grin as it rose the axe with intent on bringing it down again toward the unfortunate Xu Pai.

Everything seemed to happen so quickly, Bella's legs suddenly springing to life as her whole body put everything into running toward the imminently dead Xu Pai. Nothing about what to do once there crossed Bella's mind and it seemed as though her mere presence was all that it would take to end this horrible occurrence. Bella's heart raced, as did her legs. She was almost there when the monster started its downward swing, prompting Bella to leap into the air, flinging herself at Xu Pai. The Clavat landed atop of the purple-haired girl and, with no real plan in mind, she too simply cowered, covering her and Xu Pai's heads with her arm. Both girls had their eyes tightly closed and awaited their last gasps following the likely unbearable pain that the hefty axe would bring with it.

There was a loud, resounding howl of pain that seemed to reverberate in Bella's eyes. She half wondered if she'd made the sound, as she had been expecting, however the sound wasn't that of a woman's, it was one of an unwholesome beast. She opened her eyes and turned her head to see behind her, where the troll now stood, though its arms were limp and the axe clattered to the ground from its loosening grip. Now soundly bereaved of life, the troll was only still standing because Bezzel hadn't yet pulled the spear from its neck. Leaning backward, the monster was being propped up by the stout Lilty warrior, his entire heroic demeanour bringing a spark of relief and joy from Bella's heart. She wanted to thank Bezzel with a huge speech and shower him with praise, however the words would not come from her mouth as she merely managed to gasp his name, "Bezzel…"

Bella suddenly felt an irritating pain in her back, though she was sure it wasn't the result of an axe cut. Xu Pai's claw-like nails had embedded themselves into Bella's skin, somehow worming their way up, underneath the Clavat's tunic-like garment to find their place against Bella's soft skin. Bella pathetically attempted to pull herself from atop the Selkie, but a combination of the girl's grip and petrified expression stayed her ground.

"I-I don't think I'm cut out for this adventuring lark, after all…" Xu Pai muttered with a blatantly fake smile, physically still shaking from the experience. Bella realised, however, that she herself was actually still shaking also and managed a nervous laugh, peering into Xu Pai's own scared eyes.

"Me neither, Xu Pai," Bella managed to utter in response before planting her head to the ground beside Xu Pai's own head. The cold rocks against her face didn't seem to bother her, as she allowed for deep gasps of panicked breath, finding Xu Pai to be doing the same. Against she laughed somewhat nervously, but also in a relieved manner. They were both still alive. Most people, even a lot of Caravaners, died at the hands of monsters and yet, they were still alive. This near-death experience would be with them forever and remind them of what not to do when facing monsters in future. Xu Pai seemed to realise this too as she joined Bella in the senseless laughing. Soon enough the two girls were in fits of laughter and Bella rolled from atop of the Selkie to giggle beside her friend. They were like this for a good few minutes before their laughter started to subside, though it didn't completely stop until during their sighing and mild giggling there came a heavy thump and stones flew into the air. Both girls shot up to gaze upon the now fallen troll, its body heaped against the hard, stonewall. Beams covered the wall, presumably as supports, and the lone track ran underneath the now cold, lifeless creature. Bezzel stood looking at the green blood that coated the end of his spear. Bella wondered if he was remembering his first kill and what it felt like, or whether he was considering how he was going to clean it before the blood dried and stained his beloved weapon.

Bella suddenly leapt at Bezzel, wrapping her arms about his waist. She was now lay upon the tracks, the only way in which her arms were every going to get around someone so short. Xu Pai followed suit as they showed their affection for their brave, heroic companion.

"Thank you so much, Bezzel!" Bella managed with a tear in her eye, glancing up at the Lilty's face. There she saw his little cheeks burning a light red, though his eyes beneath the helmet were just as unwavering as she'd imagined them to be. At least, however, from the apparent embarrassment shown in his cheeks, Bella knew Bezzel did have feelings just like anyone else. She found a certain degree of assurity in that small fact.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Materia**

**D**espite the prior disastrous events that had taken place within just a few metres from where the group had entered the cave, the trio knew they had to endure the monstrous mines to get the long sought after dew of the myrrh tree. These magical trees only shed their myrrh dew once every two years and so it was almost a contest between the various Caravans to get the much-needed dew. Of course, there were enough trees to go round, however some were more dangerous than others and it was these routes that were more likely not to have been used by another Caravan and so a certain degree of certainty that they'd get their first drop of dew in their chalice. Xu Pai was very much the chalice holder of this particular party, being the fastest and most agile of the three and her best ability with combat was that her weapon allowed her to perform ranged attacks. Rackets were staff/wand-like instruments of combat that had the uncanny ability to fire focused energy from their tips and Xu Pai's triple burst racket was no exception, its superior craftsmanship allowing it to fire three consecutive blasts of energy rather than just one shot.

Where exactly Xu Pai 'obtained' this instrument from, Bella resisted asking; undoubtedly it was stolen from some weary travelling trader. The Clavat glanced at her Xu Pai with an expression of puzzlement. The Selkie never came across as some ruthless bandit that killed to simply pillage their remains and take the possessions. Certainly she had a certain roguish quality that actually, if anything, seemed to make her a little more innocent, her quirky, flirtatious attitude causing her to appear like an open book with no hidden details. She could be wrong, but Bella believed that people were too presumptuous about Selkies. Perhaps there were so many outlaw Selkies because they'd been born to believe that that was there place in life; being distrusted and looked-down upon as though you were going to steal something would likely make even herself turn into a thief. Perhaps Xu Pai was just a mischievous thief, one that stole from the rich and only took what she couldn't get otherwise? This still didn't sit well with Bella's conscience but she decided it was at least better than the evil maniacs that other people tried to label Selkies as being.

Bella suddenly realised that Xu Pai was looking back at her and that she'd been staring at the Selkie for the whole time she was considering Xu Pai's fixture to the Selkie stereotype. She bore her usual grin, only this time she was blushing brightly and her eyes were narrowed in some seductive manner. Clearly, she'd gotten the wrong impression from Bella's staring, however how could Bella explain her stare otherwise? She could tell her the truth, but then Xu Pai might have felt distrusted, which Bella certainly didn't want her to feel. The Clavat decided to simply ignore it all and hope Xu Pai got over her little affliction with her as soon as possible. Bella didn't so much hate the hugging and playing that Xu Pai was constantly trying for as it actually made her feel more like a close friend to the Selkie, like two giggling girls that had wound up on some silly adventure with a humongous, walking apple they called Bezzel. Xu Pai would try to take it too far, however. Many an attempted kiss, attempted gropes and plenty of sneaky bottom pinches were going well beyond silly girliness that Bella remembered a young child. Bella wished Bezzel were more emotional so that she could think of him a little more than the embarrassing after images of Xu Pai's antics. The biggest qualm about travelling with a lesbian Selkie was bathing time, as Bella had come to learn the difficult way…

Bella suddenly saw Xu Pai's grinning face again, this time the Selkie poking her head in front of the Clavat's blank expression as they walked down the dingy corridor with only the bombs to light their path, "What're you thinking about, Bella?"

Bella blinked at the question and realised she'd been physically blushing, her lightly rounded cheeks burning as the blood flowed into them. As much as Bella hated lying to people, especially to friends, she knew that she couldn't possibly tell Xu Pai that she was thinking of them bathing a while ago, even more so after the staring incident, "Nothing… N-Nothing at all…"

Xu Pai glanced down. She'd caught Bella nervously fidgeting again, "Nothing, eh?"

"That's right! Nothing whatsoever!" She giggled and rubbed the back of her head, soothingly. Most people might not have known this, however when people rub the back of their heads in this manner, it was from nervousness. Something people did from childhood when mothers would stroke the back of their baby's head. Being a Selkie and prone to a spot of thievery, deception and political mastery, Xu Pai knew this little fact.

"You were thinking of me, weren't you?" Xu Pai gave Bella a seductive expression, licking her lips softly. Despite being verbally adept and capable of choosing the perfect words for any occasion so that she could avoid any awkwardness or unusual predicaments, when it came to talking with Bella, Xu Pai particularly enjoyed being blatant and blunt with her speech as it often produced the best and most amusing results.

Naturally, Bella was flabbergasted and at a loss for words, stumbling over her randomised speech consisting of 'I' and 'well' a lot, repeated and stammered. Xu Pai started laughing and Bella suddenly found she thought she heard a certain pomposity and patronising tone in it that suddenly seemed to offend her. Bella was rarely offended and even rarer an occasion that she was angry, especially over such a trivial thing as the way someone laughed. Perhaps it was because she was being laughed at, but either way Bella was both offended and angry with Xu Pai.

Bella pushed past Xu Pai, nudging her out of the way with her shoulder. The surprised Selkie almost fell over from the unexpected shove and might have had she not incredible balance. She wasn't laughing anymore, or even moving as Bella heard no further footsteps. Instantly she regretted what she'd just done and wanted to turn about face and apologise to Xu Pai, hug her and pretend it never happened. Alas, her body seemed to refuse, continuing its angry marching behind the little Bezzel, who was constantly jogging, keeping him just ahead of the two girls when they walked.

Bella and Bezzel turned about a corner and she longed to hear Xu Pai's footsteps behind them but there was nothing, no clapping of her boots on solid rock, a cobbled rustle or even the clank of her boot striking one of the rail bars. Bella ventured a glance behind her but Xu Pai hadn't even snuck up on them, no one coming around the corner after them. Bella glanced nervously to Bezzel, however he seemed not to notice at all.

Panic set in as Bella's mind raced, thinking of all the terrible things that could be happening to Xu Pai. Was she still stood where Bella had pushed her? Was there a monster eating her now? Was she scared and alone in the dark?

She started to bit her nails worriedly and piped up to Bezzel, "Uh… Bezzel, I think we should stop… we've lost Xu Pai… Let's go back…"

Bezzel stopped dead and held up his hand, "Wait…"

That was the first time Bella had even heard him speak and found his voice surprisingly deep for such a short being. For a while, Bella had wondered whether he _could _actually speak, being silent for so long must be difficult. The surprise of Bezzel's sudden capacity to communicate with speech caused Bella to completely miss what the Lilty was telling her to wait for. The thudding of large feet upon a cobbled ground. When it eventually got through to her brain, Bella's heart skipped a beat; suddenly thinking that this creature they now heard coming toward them had already finished off poor Xu Pai and had eaten her. However, Bezzel hadn't turned around and his spear was pointed forward. Through the darkness ahead came the first signs of the troll, his huge axe glinting in the light from the captured bomb hanging from the beam on the ceiling. This one was larger than the last, though he still possessed the same axe and shield that the last had had, probably they were all from some mass produced collection of armaments left by the ancient Lilties.

Upon sight of the two adventurers, it let out a terrible roar that echoed throughout the corridor, almost deafening Bella, reverberating in her ears. Bezzel pointed to the chalice beside him and spoke to her for the second time, "Watch that…"

With that, his little legs started and he sped toward the beast. For a brief moment, Bella wondered how he'd gotten the chalice from Xu Pai, however her mind then panicked as she realised they'd left the Selkie without the protection of myrrh from the miasma that filled the ominous tunnels. She was about to bark out her concerns when she suddenly realised she should storm off after Xu Pai and leave Bezzel without myrrh protection _and _defeat a huge troll on his own. Bella grabbed the chalice and started after the Lilty even as he started to engage the monster ahead of them.

Bezzel's spear thrust forward, cutting into the troll's shoulder, causing a howl to escape the monster's, grotesque lips. However, even before he managed to retract the spear from the creature's body, the troll grabbed a hold of it and then swung the end of it, lifting Bezzel off of his feet and slammed him into one of the solid, stonewalls. The beast the pulled the spear from its shoulder and tossed it to the ground, giving something of an arrogant grunt at it before looking back up to the Lilty. Bezzel pulled himself from the wall with his constantly cool expression, no sign of anger or fear on his lips. The troll seemed to laugh and swung the axe downward, causing Bezzel to hop backward, narrowly missing the vicious blade. The troll took a second swing, this time moving it horizontally, however he clearly underestimated the Lilty's speed and even his size as Bezzel dove forward, to the ground, avoiding the swinging axe and even coming to a roll so he landed on his feet, just behind the beast. Further to the chagrin of the troll was that mid-roll, Bezzel had managed to repossess his spear and proceeded to pin around and thrust it into the monster's back. Bella reached the pair of them just in time to see Bezzel's spear pierce through the troll's entire body and spurt out the other side. The troll's face was a depiction of agony as its eyes clenched and his mouth drooled blood, both hands releasing its weaponry and clenched at the end of the protruding spear. Bezzel twisted the spear, causing a further course of pain to spread through the monster's body as it growled in pain. He suddenly opened his eyes and stared down at Bella and with an almighty defiant roar, the beast lunged at her, hands ready to grab her and tear her apart, limb from limb. Bella screamed and swiped at the oncoming hands, driving them back as her blade sliced off fingers and pierced the palms, she then eagerly thrust the sword forward into the trolls gut and finally swiped horizontally, spilling the creature's innards and finishing him off. Bezzel's spear pulled free of the monster and the decapitated troll slumped to the ground in a spray of stones and dust. Breathing heavily, Bella could hardly believe what she'd just down as she gaped at her sword, almost in awe of its sharpness. For a short moment, she wondered why she'd never been given any training in this sort of thing if everyone knew she'd have to undertake the task of collecting myrrh, however she then looked to Bezzel who was headed further into the tunnel.

"W-Wait…" Bella managed to say as she noticed something on the troll's person. She knelt down and picked up the curious orb that had been sitting in one of the deceased troll's pouches on his belt. Inside it was what seemed to be a swirling mass of fiery red and instantly, Bella recognised the peculiar sphere as the fire material that her father had told her she might encounter. Apparently, these orbs gave their bearers magical powers, able to cast whatever spell they had hidden inside them. The downside to material was that it could only be used within a certain radius of its 'home', a place in which the orb had been allowed to fester for a long time and extract its spores into the air. She presumed then that this orb must have been brought to the mine by Lilties, possibly to cast fire and melt the raw iron they dug up. She knew Lilties were generally poor spell casters, slow and generally weak spells formed from the orbs, however she supposed that that would serve their purposes at least. Clavat's on the other hand were rather adept and were capable of swift casting, something to do with their biological chemistry, yet no one really knew why. The Yukes were the best at magic however; their peculiar mannerisms and strange clothing all helped to supposedly amplify their magical abilities. The Selkie's, however, were the worst for magic, which again no one understood, though some speculated that it was due to their superior abilities with focused energy and the rackets…

Bella suddenly remembered Xu Pai and grew wide-eyed with panic, however Bezzel had already gone wandering ahead and she had to run to catch up to him, "Bezzel, wait! What about Xu Pai?"

He seemed not to listen as he crossed the corner and Bella almost felt she might burst into tears, knowing that this was all her fault. Her heart felt heavy and her legs felt numb, her body trembling with the crime she felt she'd committed. Stumbling after Bezzel with her eyes swelling in tears, Bella continued to mumble ramblings about how she'd betrayed her friend and left her to succumb to the venomous miasma when their surroundings seemed to shift. They were no longer within the usual iron mining caves with the tracks running over a cobbled ground, they were upon a suspended gantry over a cool, solemn pool of chilling water in which there were no fish or otherwise. The tracks still ran along this net-floored gantry and the very beams supporting their weight appeared rotted and worn, which was particularly unnerving, especially to Bella's already deeply cut courage.

They hurried over this wooden structure as quickly as they dared; cautiously their footsteps tread upon the soft netting underfoot. They were thankful that no enemies seemed to have the courage to stand upon this structure, otherwise a battle on such weak supports might have brung the entire construct down, along with them, into the icy depths below, from which there appeared no obvious escape. The worn chalice in under her shielded arm suddenly seemed to gain weight, as if the heavy burden of her task suddenly bore down upon her. She fussed with it for a moment before she saw a pillar of stone up ahead. It seemed that the ancient Lilties hadn't been without sense as they'd formed their construct to fit with the natural formations of the cave, rather than force nature to their will. Whilst the stone flooring might have brought a certain spark of relief to Bella's mind, the fact that a third, gruesome troll stood upon the pillar ground out the light in her hopes of a confrontless push to the final resting place of the myrrh tree.

Naturally, the presence of the troll only seemed to spur the stumpy Lilty onward as he picked up speed, rocking the loose netting underneath both himself and Bella. Gasping, Bella grabbed a hold of one of the support beams and hugged the chalice close to her chest. It wasn't until the rickety gantry finished shaking that Bella opened her eyes, just in time to see the troll and its large club bat Bezzel to one side. The small body of the Lilty flew and rolled across the floor, almost falling off of the tall stone pillar.

"Bezzel!" she naturally screamed out, which managed to attain the attention of the drooling, bloated troll. It turned about face and started at a run toward the gantry, instantly sparking fear of falling into the freezing, still pool below. In turn, this ignited the fiery passion of the magical orb within her. The materia in her pouch flared up with bright fury and, with the wave of her hands in the troll's direction, magical fire burst to life from her fingertips and crashed into the troll with a tremendous force. The troll lumbered forward, his charred, black body now vulnerable to even the weakest of attacks. The troll allowed for a somewhat pitiful and mourning sigh as it fell to its knees and looked toward Bella who was still stood upon the gantry. The Clavat's body then decided it was time to finish the job and, dropping the chalice to the netting, she dashed forward and rose her sword courageously, appearing as some kind of Holy Saint sent on a divine crusade through the realm of monsters. The blade came down and cleft the monster's head in two, the remains falling to the ground finally.

Reopening her eyes, Bella saw Bezzel stood on the other side of the troll and simply watching her as though he'd allowed her to finish off the beast rather than intervening and claiming the kill as his own. To a degree she thanked him for that, but cursed his coldness silently in her mind. He rose his arm and pointed a finger to somewhere behind her. She about faced and saw he was indicating to the chalice; it was time to get moving again. She complied, lifting the chalice from the net and prodded along the gantry until she was back on the stone flooring of the pillar, where she carefully tread over the dead troll and pursued after Bezzel, who was now entering the mouth of a cave that led further into the mines.

Bella mildly wondered if they were actually getting any closer to the myrrh tree or whether they'd taken a wrong turning at some point. The numbers of various passages through the mine were endless and the tree could have been down any one of them, however for some reason, she believed they were on the right path. It was likely that all the paths led to the one spot that the tree stood, acting as some kind of focal point to the whole cave system.

The dynamic duo came out of the short tunnel and into a large, spacious room with but one other exit, which lay directly opposite them. This in itself was entirely unusual as the whole mine beyond this room was usually stuffy and covered in many, many various points of entry and exit. Curiously she wondered if she had been right in that all paths led to this spot and if so, they must have been close to the myrrh tree. Excitement grew in Bella's heart and her usually cautious footsteps became proud footfalls as she strode forth, toward the awaiting tunnel ahead. However as they got close to the tunnel, Bezzel stopped, which in turn prompted Bella to cease walking also.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked her shorter companion. He didn't reply but started to look around as if he knew they were being watched. There came a sudden crash and stone seemed to fall from above them. Sheltering her eyes from the falling stones and dust, Bella looked up to see what had caused the sudden sound…


End file.
